Two juveniles among seven youths held in Dalit woman gangrape

Amravati (Maharashtra): A 25-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gangraped by seven youths, including two juveniles, on the pretext of giving her financial help in Chandur Bazar police station area in the district, police said on Thursday.

The seven accused, including two juveniles, were arrested on Thursday, they said.

The victim on Wednesday evening asked one of the accused who was her acquaintance for a help of Rs 1,500, to which he agreed and asked her to come to Riddhapur town with his friend, Inspector S R Rajput of Chandur Bazar police station said.

His friend picked her up from her residence and drove her to a farm on Jalnapur-Riddhapur road, where he, along with six others, gangraped the woman, Rajput said.

Acting upon the victim’s complaint, the police arrested all the seven accused, identified as - Sandeep Thakare, Shiva Jamthe, Santosh Lakhan Sanskar, Prafulla Waghade, Shivam Wankhade and the two juveniles, he said.

The woman has a seven-year-old daughter and was staying away from her husband, though the couple are not formally separated, he further said.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said, adding the offence is being investigated by Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Paunikar.

PTI